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ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT WELCOMES WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General John Ashcroft today welcomed President George W. Bush's announcement of his intention to nominate Michael Chertoff to be Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice.

"Michael Chertoff's credentials and experience are unparalleled," Ashcroft said. "His impressive record of service will be an important asset to us, and I look forward to working with him."

Chertoff, 47, is currently a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins in Newark, New Jersey. Prior to that, he spent over a decade as a federal prosecutor, including service as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. As U.S. Attorney, Chertoff directed several significant investigations and prosecutions of political corruption, health care fraud, bank fraud and savings and loan fraud. From 1991-1994 he served as a member of the U.S. Attorney General's Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys. Chertoff graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1975, and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1978. From 1979-1980 he served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, Jr.

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